The Malik Report

Updated with more news about Howard at 6:32 PM: Amongst the post-game gnus, notes and other stuff from the Red Wings' 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins in a Columbus Day matinee (fear not, Wings fans, the game re-airs at 8 PM on FSD), mostly on a Twitter basis as it appears that the Wings' beat writers took mid-afternoon flights back to Detroit (which is a good idea given that it costs a crapton of money to stay in a hotel in Boston):

This is good news...

UPDATE: Jimmy Howard said he's doubtful for tomorrow's game but its not serious. Day-to-day with a bruised hand.

The good news is that Jimmy Howard's left hand injury appears to be bruising/swelling and nothing more, and while he may not play tomorrow against Columbus, Jonas Gustavsson actually played remarkably well in the Red Wings' 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins.

I've got more good news: the Red Wings' game will re-air on Fox Sports Detroit at 8 PM tonight.

The bad news? You didn't get to see this game live.

The Red Wings slowly but surely rebound from the, "What the flying *#$%@&, Gus is starting?" funk to slowly but surely, well, pull off quite the rally against the powerhouse Bruins, at least assuaging the B's 4-1 win over the Wings just over a week ago, and it was AWESOME to witness it all playing out in real time.

The Red Wings signed Mantha as soon as they were able to do so for a reason: Mantha was named the Q's "First Star" for the second time (and he was named the "First Star" for September as well) because he continues to make mincemeat of his opposition:

With 10 points from 5 goals and 5 assists in 2 games, and a +/- of +7, the Val-d’Or Foreurs forward, Anthony Mantha, is the first star of the week in the QMJHL. He had 2 consecutive games of 5 points and was named the first star for both games. Friday in a 6-4 win against the Drummondville Voltigeurs, he scored 2 goals and added 3 helpers. Saturday, against the Sherbrooke Phoenix, he scored 3 more goals while adding 2 assists. Mantha had 11 his team’s 44 shots on goal, which ended with a 6-5 win in overtime. As the Foreurs extended the number of consecutive wins to 5 this weekend, their star forward climbed to first in League scoring, with 28 points, including 16 goals in 9 games so far in the 2013-14 season.

You read that right. 28 points in 9 games. The Wings' 1st-round pick, 19th overall in the 13 draft, gained oodles of confidence down the stretch at the prospect tournament and during the Wings' main camp, and he's translated that into a remarkable Major Junior start, even by high-scoring QMJHL standards.

Ken Daniels described Pavel Datsyuk's double-takeaway and deke through Zdeno "Not Often Referred to As a Pylon" Chara, plus his seeing-eye pass to Henrik Zetterberg, as proving that Datsyuk can "thread a needle in the dark"...

And if you dig .gifs...

Pavel Datsyuk is so good at playing hockey that he can make Zdeno Chara look small (GIF). http://t.co/veGRixqKPQ

“It caught the right nerve, I guess,’’ Tootoo said. “Other than that it just flared up a little bit, but I’m fine.’’

Asked if he has a history with Newbury, who has appeared in 74 NHL games over nine seasons with Toronto, the New York Rangers, Philadelphia and Detroit (four games in 2009-10), Tootoo said, “No clue who he is.’’

Asked if he was surprised by the slash, Tootoo said, “From what I’ve heard, not so much, the way he plays, I guess.

“It’s just uncalled for when a guy’s got your back to him. That’s just like a gutless play. But whatever, we got the two points. Today’s a new day and move on from the situation.’’

Daniel Alfredsson (0-3—3), Pavel Datsyuk (1-2—3), Niklas Kronwall (1-2—3) and Henrik Zetterberg (2-1—3) each recorded three points in the Red Wings’ 5-2 triumph over the Flyers. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it marks the first time the team has had four players collect three or more points in the same game since the 2009 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, when Marian Hossa (0-3—3), Jiri Hudler (2-1—3), Brian Rafalski (1-2—3) and Zetterberg (0-3—3) did so in a 6-4 victory over the Blackhawks at Wrigley Field.

Not since his days with the Vancouver Canucks has Todd Bertuzzi made such as impact on the power play as he did Saturday night for the Red Wings.

“I’ve been off and on sparingly, so when I’m on there I have to make sure to take full advantage when I’m out there,” he said. “Do the little things, be strong on the faceoff for the guys, get the puck back to them and get in front of the net.”

Bertuzzi led a parade of power-play goals as the Red Wings recovered from two straight losses to beat the listless Philadelphia Flyers, 5-2, at Joe Louis Arena.

Bertuzzi was on the ice for four of the Wings’ goals, scoring one on the power play and raising havoc as a net-front presence on power-play tallies by Niklas Kronwall and Pavel Datsyuk, who also had two assists each.

Bertuzzi’s goal was his first on the power play since he accounted for the Wings’ lone goal in a 5-1 loss to the Atlanta Thrashers on Nov. 24, 2010.

About The Malik Report

The Malik Report is a destination for all things Red Wings-related. I offer biased, perhaps unprofessional-at-times and verbose coverage of my favorite team, their prospects and developmental affiliates. I've joined the Kukla's Korner family with five years of blogging under my belt, and I hope you'll find almost everything you need to follow your Red Wings at a place where all opinions are created equal and we're all friends, talking about hockey and the team we love to follow.